THE HARRINGTON CONTRACT

CHAPTER 5: THE STRANGER IN THE HOUSE

Sophia’s POV

I stayed in my room for a while after everything that happened downstairs. I needed time to breathe. Seeing him had brought everything back so suddenly that I still hadn’t completely calmed down.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. Who was he? And why was he here? I knew I had seen him at the party, but that was all I knew.

I didn’t even know his name. After sitting there for a few minutes, I decided to find out. I walked downstairs again and found the driver helping one of the other staff members with my boxes.

“Excuse me?”

He turned towards me.

“Yes ma’am.”

I hesitated.

“There was a man I saw earlier. He came out of the house.”

The driver looked at me.

“Which man?”

“I don’t know. He was wearing a grey shirt.”

The driver seemed to understand immediately. “Oh, Mr Lucas?”

My heart skipped. “Lucas?”

“Yes ma’am. Mr Lucas Harrington.”

I nodded slowly. “Right.”

So that was his name. Lucas. I thanked him and walked away before he could ask me anything else. Back in my room, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“Lucas Harrington.”

I picked up my phone and I searched for his name. There were pictures of him everywhere. Articles, interviews, family photos. And eventually I found exactly what I was looking for. The Harrington family.

Charles Harrington had just one child. Which was Lucas. I stared at the screen. It was him. The same face, the same eyes, the same man.

I locked my phone and dropped it onto the bed. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. At least, not yet. There was already too much going on.

I was married, I was in a house I’d never lived in before and I just discovered that the man from the party was my husband’s son. My step son.

By evening, the house had finally become quiet. I had taken a nap earlier and I felt more energized.

I was sitting in my room when there was a knock on the door. I looked up.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Charles walked in. He looked tired. He closed the door behind him and looked at me for a moment. Then he walked further into the room.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay.”

He nodded.

“Do you like it here?”

I looked around the massive room I was given. “It’s nice.”

“Good.”

There was a brief silence.

“Have you eaten?”

“A little.”

He nodded again.

“You should eat properly.”

“I will.”

He walked towards the wardrobe. I watched him curiously as he reached for the buttons of his shirt. One by one he started undoing them.

I frowned.

“What are you doing?”

He looked at me briefly.

“Getting comfortable.”

He pulled his shirt off and tossed it onto a chair. I stared at him with a puzzled expression for a second, before quickly looking away.

He walked closer. My heart started beating faster.

“Charles?”

“Yeah?”

He stopped in front of me. “Are you gonna take your clothes off yourself or you want me to help you?”

“Do we have to do this tonight?” I asked. I could feel a panic attack on its way. It felt like the night at the party again.

He smiled and helped me take my clothes off. I’m sure he felt me shaking but he didn’t talk about it. I was still in my pants when he laid down on me.

He was completely naked. He stretched out his hand and grabbed my boobs. He fondled them and put them in his mouth. I was starting to find it difficult to breathe. I was scared. I saw Lucas in Charles and it made me even more frightened.

I pushed him back. He looked at me with a confused expression.

“Sophia, what was that for?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know.” I stammered.

He shook his head and wore his shorts. He walked out of my room leaving his shirt behind. He left so suddenly I felt confused or rather puzzled.

A few minutes later, he came back with two glasses and a bottle of alcohol.

“Drink up, it will help you loosen up a bit.” He said, pouring more alcohol into my glass.

I took a sip and I immediately felt a burning sensation in my throat. I told him about how I was feeling and he said I’d get used to it.

I was done with my first glass, and he refilled. He kept refilling my glass until the third or fourth glass. I started feeling tipsy. Then he took the glass out of my hand and asked me to lay back.

I obeyed without hesitating or questioning him. For a moment, I just laid back, staring at the ceiling in silence. Nothing happened. I turned towards Charles, he was standing beside the bed. Pouring himself a glass with his back facing me.

I watched him take a sip before turning towards me. His eyes met mine but neither of us said anything. He placed the glass down and walked towards me. He got on the bed and laid down beside me.

“Do you still feel tightened up?” He said, turning to lay on his side.

“I’m okay.” I replied. I was initially confused on what he wanted to do until now. He wanted to have s*x with me. How was I supposed to tell him I had slept with his son before this day?

I got so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t even notice when Charles fell asleep. I let out a giggle when I looked at him. He looked so cute sleeping and he was just here right now, trying to have s*x with me. And now he was asleep.

I was happy we didn’t have to do that tonight. But I’m worried about the other days, I need to come up with an excuse before tomorrow night.

I woke up the next morning to sunlight coming through the curtains. For a brief moment, I forgot where I was. Then I turned my head and saw Charles had gone. I didn’t think much about it, I just grabbed my clothes and headed to the bathroom.

I needed to get ready before anyone came looking for me. I took a quick shower and got dressed. I was still fixing my hair when I heard a knock on the door.

“Sophia?”

I turned towards the door. “Yeah?”

“Get ready, breakfast is in a few minutes.” It was Charles.

“Okay. I’ll be down in a bit.”

“Good.”

His footsteps disappeared down the hallway. I looked at myself in the mirror before grabbing my phone and heading downstairs.

When I reached the dining room, Charles was already seated. He looked up when he saw me.

“Perfect, just in time.”

I smiled slightly. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” he replied.

I took the empty seat beside him. Breakfast started quietly. I tried to focus on the food in front of me, but my mind kept wandering away. I barely touched my food. Then I heard footsteps. I looked up and I saw Lucas walking into the dining room.

Our eyes met and I immediately looked down at my plate. He briefly stopped before looking away as well. His presence made the room much quieter than it had been a moment ago. Nobody said anything, we just continued eating.

After a few minutes, Charles broke the silence.

“Sophia.”

I looked at him.

“We’re going out this evening.”

“Going where?”

“Dinner.”

“Okay.” I nodded.

“I’d send you the dress you’d wear before then. Be ready by seven.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

He went back to his food as if nothing had happened. I glanced across the table a few times and caught Lucas staring at me. It gave me chills because I felt restless around him.

I looked down at my plate, hoping he would stop staring. A few minutes later, he pushed his chair back.

“I’m done.”

He stood up and walked away without saying another word. I watched him leave before quickly looking back at my food. Somehow, I felt relieved. But a small part of me felt uneasy when I remember him staring at me during breakfast.

I decided to go upstairs. I had barely made it halfway down the hallway when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around.

Lucas.

He stopped when he saw me. He was staring at me again, the same stare he gave me at the table this morning. I didn’t know what to say so I stared back. I knew his name now, which made things a little different. He wasn’t just the stranger from the party. He was Charles’s son.

My step son.

Thinking about it made me feel disgusted. I quickly looked away and continued walking. I didn’t want another weird encounter, especially not after everything I already had on my mind.

I reached for my room and closed the door behind me. For some reason, I felt like I could finally breathe again.

I changed into something comfortable and decided to lay down for a while. I scrolled through my phone for a short time replying to text messages and watching videos. I didn’t realize when I fell asleep.

A knock on the door woke me up. I opened my eyes slowly, confused for a second. Then I remembered where I was. I reached for my phone and checked the time.

“Oh.”

Another knock came.

“Mrs Sophia.”

I quickly sat up.

“Yes?”

“It’s almost time. Mr Charles asked me to check if you’re ready.”

I looked around my room. “I’ll be out in a bit.”

“Alright, ma’am.”

I heard her footsteps disappear down the hallway. I got out of bed and immediately noticed the clothes neatly placed on my bed.

I walked over and picked up the dress. I tried to hurry up because I didn’t have much time. I took a shower and got dressed.

For the first time since arriving at the mansion, I had something else to think about. Dinner.

I checked myself in the mirror. One last time before leaving my room.

The dress Charles had sent was simple but elegant. I made my way out of my room. Upon reaching the stairs, I heard voices downstairs. Charles was already waiting. He looked up when he saw me.

“You’re ready.”

“Yeah.”

He nodded and checked his watch.

“We should go.”

I followed him downstairs. The house was quieter than it had been earlier, and I noticed a few of the staff moving around before disappearing into different rooms.

Charles walked ahead of me. I followed quietly. When we got outside, the driver was already waiting beside the car for us. Charles got into the car and I followed through the other side.

I leaned back against the seat and looked out the window. Charles hadn’t said much since we left. I reached for my phone when it vibrated. I had a message from an unknown number.

I looked at the screen.

Unknown number: you better keep your mouth shut.

I frowned and read it again. What did that even mean? Who sent this? I felt so confused and scared. How did this person get my number? What were they talking about ?